MS Dhoni lost his cool after one of Michael Hussey’s tips did not work for him in an IPL 2018 match. (File Photo/BCCI)

MS Dhoni losing his composure is such a rare occasion that everybody remembers when it happens. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Michael Hussey recently narrated an incident when Dhoni reacted angrily after one of Hussey’s tips led to Dhoni losing his wicket. “I’ll bat my own way, thanks!” Dhoni reportedly told Hussey in a IPL 2018 match.

Speaking on the Lessons Learnt with the Greats podcast, Hussey said that just before the crucial Qualifier 1 in 2018 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the CSK video analyst had discovered that Rashid Khan holds his fingers differently when bowling the leg spinner and the googly.

Hussey had sent this information to all the CSK batsmen. He said some, like Faf du Plessis, loved the input. “MS, you didn’t really hear a reply (from), which is generally normal,” he said.

“Rashid Khan comes on to bowl, one of the very first balls he (Dhoni) faces, goes for the big cover drive – wrong ‘un, bowled through the gate. And I’m thinking ‘Uh, gosh. Okay, no worries.’ And MS walks straight off the field, and I am sitting in the dugout and he walks straight up to me and says ‘I’ll bat my own way, thanks,’ and sits back down,” Hussey said.

Every cricketer and coach will get so much out of this episode. Especially @mhussey393 story about his coaching lesson that he learnt with the great MS Dhoni. @ChennaiIPL #WhistlePodu https://t.co/SCVXricTrx

— Shane Watson (@ShaneRWatson33) June 12, 2020

“As a coach, I thought my days are over forever! But, to MS’s credit, after the game, he was absolutely fantastic. He came up and spoke to me and we had a good chat. He said that the information was correct, but for him, he needed time to go away and process it and practise it.”

CSK, chasing 140 to win, had slipped to 24/3 in this crucial match, with Dhoni struggling his way to a 18-ball 9, but Du Plessis took CSK to victory with an unbeaten 67.